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UK and Israel offer to send aid after earthquake leaves over 1,700 dead in Turkey and Syria

"A request was also received to do this for the many who were injured in the earthquake in Syria,” Netanyahu said, which led him to “instruct that this be done as well.”

By Jotam Confino in Israel February 6, 2023, 10:59 am Edit
People search through rubble following an earthquake in Diyarbakir, Turkey February 6, 2023. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
People search through rubble following an earthquake in Diyarbakir, Turkey February 6, 2023. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Israel prepared to send aid to Turkey and Syria on Monday following a massive earthquake which also hit both countries, leaving over 1,700 dead in total. 

Turkish authorities said at least 1,000 people were killed in Turkey and more than 5,383 injured, while UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 320 people had been killed in Syria.

The 7.8-magnitude quake was centred near the Turkish provincial capital of Gaziantep, some 55 miles from the Syrian border. Residential buildings in both Syria and Turkey were seen collapsing, leaving scored of people dead. According to President Erdogan, over 2,800 buildings collapsed, mostly in the the Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras provinces in the southern part of the country.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu offered his condolences to the Turkish people, saying: “At the request of the Turkish government, I have instructed all authorities to make immediate preparations to provide medical, and search and rescue assistance.”

“The Foreign and Defence ministers have already been in contact with their counterparts and we will – in the coming hours – agree on the dispatching of a delegation as soon as possible. A request was also received to do this for the many who were injured in the earthquake in Syria,” Netanyahu said, which led him to “instruct that this be done as well.”

Israel has no diplomatic ties with Syria and is technically in a state of war with its neighbour. According to Haaretz Daily, Israel will send tents and medicine to those injured on Syrian soil and will offer treatment to Syrians who are willing to be treated at Israeli hospitals. The request to offer aid to Syria was reportedly made by Russia.

The earthquake was felt as far as Lebanon and Israel. A second 7.5 magnitude earthquake rocket Turkey around noon, also near the Kahramanmaras province.

Joseph Bali, a Turkish Jew from the city of Marmaris in Western Turkey, said his area had not been hit, but that the situation along the border with Syria was “really bad.”

“Most Turkish Jews live in the Western and central part of the country, so we haven’t heard reports of anyone in the community being hurt yet,” Bali told Jewish News.

Following Netanyahu’s directive, the IDF said its Home Front Command was “leading the preparations” in cooperation with all the IDF branches and the Ministry of Defence.

Prime Minister Sunak also offered to help Turkey, saying: “My thoughts are with the people of Türkiye and Syria this morning, particularly with those first responders working so valiantly to save those trapped by the earthquake. The UK stands ready to help in whatever way we can.”

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant spoke to his Turkish counterpart in the morning, “assuring him” that Israel “stands with the people of Turkey on this difficult day. We are prepared to deploy search and rescue teams and aid. I send my condolences to affected families and prayers to the injured.”

United Hatzalah of Israel issued a similar statement, saying it was currently preparing to send a relief mission to Turkey.

https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1622510405720633344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1622510405720633344%7Ctwgr%5E3ea10af08a8d51d02ff1ccdd87161b336e040589%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2Flive%2F2023%2Ffeb%2F06%2Fturkey-earthquake-2023-live-updates-quake-tremor-latest-news

“As soon as we heard about the scale of the destruction and tragedy, we immediately began to assess the situation and prepare an advanced jump team to provide relief in the wake of the devastating earthquake that has claimed the lives of hundreds of people,” CEO of United Hatzalah Eli Pollack said.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen Tweeted his condolences in a message in Turkish, saying Israel was preparing to send emergency aid.

The situation in Northwestern Syria was described as a “disaster” by the White Helmets, a civil defence organisation offering aid to victims of the Syrian civil war in rebel-held areas.

“Many buildings in different cities and villages in northwestern Syria collapsed, destroyed by this earthquake. Our teams responded to all the sites and the buildings – and still now, many families are under the rubble. We are trying to save them but it’s a very hard task for us,” Ismail Al Abdullah from the White Helmets told BBC.

“We need help. We need the international community to do something, to help us, to support us. Northwestern Syria is now a disaster area. We need help from everyone to save our people,” Al Abdullah added.

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